Promise
by scarletlions
Summary: Two months after the defeat of the D-Reaper, Takato finds the portal leading them to the Digital World. Will they be able to reunite with their partners?
1. The Promise

He could hardly sleep that night. He went to bed early, hoping to sleep, and instead found himself pressing his eyelids shut, pretending he was tired. However, the opposite was true; he hadn't felt this awake and alive in weeks. With his eyes still closed he began hoping and praying for his exhaustion to catch up and wash over him. But all he could think about was that promise.

Two months. The last time Takato had seen his partner and best friend was two months ago. Just thinking about that time period made him shudder. He still had nightmares about it; the red mass, the agents, the kernel and prison of Jeri, taller than most buildings. Whenever he started to feel overwhelmed, he concentrated on his final biomerge with Guilmon. Gallantmon Crimson Mode, made possible by Grani, was his ultimate defiance against the D-Reaper. He and Guilmon were one...which brought him back to his promise.

A promise he can finally, hopefully, keep.

Not everybody was as optimistic, however. Rika, of course, presented a lot of counter arguments, but she did sounded excited. Even Jeri said she wanted to go, to help find Calumon. Henry was confused as to how a portal opened at all, and Takato had to wonder himself; however, he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. He could see Guilmon. He had to take this chance. He felt that the portal would stay open as long as they needed, but that didn't stop him from wanting to hurry. They had no plan, no way back, and no permission, but tomorrow they were going to the digital world.

He rolled onto his side to check the digital clock on his nightstand. The green, luminescent numbers indicated that it was only 2:15 in the morning, but his attention was immediately drawn to the object adjacent. He could barely reach it with the tips of his fingers, but he grabbed hold eventually.

He smiled to himself and attempted to sit up in his bed. His fingers brushed over the goggles, his tamer's symbol. He remembered the first day he wore them, after Guilmon hatched from his digi-egg. His grip tightened around the goggles in order to control the flood of his emotions.

"Hold on buddy...just a little bit longer," he whispered to himself. He slowly put the goggles on his head for the first time in months, and instantly he felt ready for bed.

"Just a little bit longer, Guilmon," Takato whispered as he lost consciousness. "I promise."

After all the effort to fall asleep, Takato struggled now to wake up. He could hear his alarm beeping, distantly, calling to him. He knew he had something important to do. But his dream world had him trapped. At first, all he could see was darkness, but then he looked harder. Colors were flying around at high speeds, unstoppably fast. He could feel something on his wrists, tying him down. And then he realized he couldn't breathe. He didn't think he was underwater, and he could barely move to check. He heard a voice, soft, feminine, and familiar, calling his name, and he bolted upright in his bed, sweating and breathing heavily.

He took a second to compose himself, before the ringing of the alarm became too much. After he turned it off, he stood up, and threw on his classic blue shirt and grabbed his digivice and modify card deck.

He walked downstairs into the bakery store run by his parents. He opened the fridge and started packing food for the trip. He opened the bread drawer and found nothing where he expected to find, well...bread.

"Looking for this?" Takato winced and slowly turned to face his parents standing in the doorway, holding a bag full of bread.

"Uhm..." Takato started, nervously. He had been upset with himself for not telling his parents about leaving, but after the events with the D-Reaper, he figured it would be easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

"It's okay, son," his dad said. "Yamaki informed us that there was a possible digital portal open, and we knew right away you'd be going."

"And...you're okay with it?" he asked, only half surprised.

"Well, not really," his mother replied, with a slight smile etched on her face. "But we know you'd go anyway. Plus, even we miss Guilmon." She gave her son a hug. "Bring him back, alright? Then we can all be together again."

Takato smiled. His parents recognized that Guilmon was a part of their family. He hugged both his parents, holding back a few tears, and together, they packed for his journey. He slipped into his shoes, and headed out the door. When he reached the top of his hill, he turned towards his house. In the light of the barely risen sun, he could just make out his parents waving to him. He waved a final goodbye, and walked determinedly towards the park.

He didn't want to run, but his pace hastened with every step. The warm breeze made the world seem comfortable, and the clear sky foretold days of joy, but the only thing he could think about was getting to his destination. He hoped he was the last one there; that way, they could just leave. His stomach felt almost queasy, but he wasn't sure why he was nervous.

_Not nervous_, he thought. _Anxious. To see my best friend._

As he entered the park, he couldn't help but reminisce about the adventures he and all his friends shared. A ton of them had started in this very park. He laughed as he recalled pushing Guilmon in a shopping cart. That was a blast...and then there was an actual blast, caused by Henry, Gargomon, Rika, and Kyuubimon battling against the snake deva in the subway.

With the shed that served as Guilmon's hide out getting closer, he felt his anxiety heighten.

"Hey, gogglehead," a friendly voice call. He turned to see RIka, Henry, Suzie, Jeri, and Kenta standing just outside the shed. "Took you long enough!"

"As if I was the one you were all waiting for?" he replied, smiling. "Where's Kazu?"

"Where do you think," Kenta said, Henry laughing. "If he could just hurry, then we could leave!"

"Actually," Rika said, eyes on her phone. "We can't leave without Ryo." Everybody looked at her, and she slowly turned red. "What?" Her voice sent out a challenge, begging them to comment. Takato, not dumb enough to poke Rika's buttons, simply turned and laughed. But Ryo's and Kazu's absences bothered him. What was the hold up?

He heard footsteps, and excitedly looked to his left. He didn't see anybody. Instead, the bush began shaking. Takato suddenly became worried. Ryo and Kazu were not "enter through a bush" kind of people.

Just as he was about to call everybody's attention, two small children walked out of the bush, holding a single, purple digivice.

"Ai?" he said in surprise. "Mako?" Everybody else's heads snapped in their direction.

"Hi!" Mako said, smiling. "We were scared we'd have to go alone, but the big kids are here!"

"Where are you going?" Rika said, gently, worry seeping into her voice.

"To find Impmon," Ai said, putting the digivice back around her neck. "The digivice told us to come here. Please don't call our parents!"

"Of course not," Takato promised, earning himself a scoff and reprimanding look from Rika. Henry walked over to the young tamers.

"How old are you guys?" he asked, trying to sound genuinely curious, but his eyes glowed with concern.

"Five, since today!" they both said, showing a hand with all five fingers extended. Henry was quiet for a moment, staring at his own sister. Then he sighed.

"Well, we can't say no to the birthday twins, can we?" he said with a shrug. The two kids rejoiced as Henry continued. "You're tamers, so you deserve to come and find your partner. Just stay close and be careful."

As the two kids promised profusely, Rika sighed loudly and began pacing, hands moving absent mindedly across her digivice and cell phone. She kicked a small stone and watched it fall down the concrete steps, listening to the clatter of each drop.

"Those two are on their way to being as stubborn as Ryo," she whispered, shaking her head.

"Heard my name?" a voice said from behind them, startling both Takato and Rika. Rika rolled her eyes.

"Ryo!" Jeri said, her voice cheerful. Takato couldn't stop himself from genuinely smiling. "And Kazu!"

"You big dorks, what took so long!" Rika shouted, giving both boys a punch in the arm.

"Ah, hey!" Kazu screamed, while Ryo said "Took a detour when I saw Kazu trip and fall on his face." Kazu's mouth gaped open, and everybody laughed.

"All right, Tamers!" Takato shouted. "On this day, we march to reunite with lost friends. Move out!"

Single-filed, the Tamers walked into the shed and slid down the path dug long ago by Guilmon. Takato brought up the rear. As Henry helped Suzie down the hold, he turned to face the sun again.

"You ready?" Henry asked, putting his hand on Takato's shoulder. Takato nodded. He walked in and saw the Tamer's flag he had left there. He stared at the pictures of his friends for a moment, before picking it up and standing at the mouth of the pathway.

_I'm on my way, Guilmon. I promise._


	2. The First Encounter

Ready for the drop from the portal into the digital world this time, Takato held tight to the backpack of food, which was tied to his body. The desert on the first layer of the digital world was a surprise for Takato yet again. The tumbleweed-like sacs of dead data blew passed them as Takato stood up, patting the dirt off his clothes.

"Is everybody okay?" he asked, turning towards his friends. Henry was helping Suzie up, and Rika had gone over to assist Ai and Mako.

"I'm fine," Ryo said, giving his hand to Kazu to help him onto his feet. Kenta scrambled upright, picking up his glasses and shoving them back on his nose. Suzie, Ai, and Mako were all smiling, though Ai and Mako were definitely confused about their surroundings. However, the person he was truly concerned for was Jeri. The last time she was in the digital world, she had been suffering from depression. Now, she just stared off at the rocks.

"Hey," Takato asked, walking up to her. "You alright?"

"Absolutely!" she said with a grin. "I'm ready to find our friends, and to properly thank them for saving me. Especially Calumon." She smiled at Takato, and he smiled back. He resolved to keep an eye out but he was confident Jeri was over it.

He started scanning the surroundings for himself now. They were in a flat stretch of land, with dust and sand in every direction. Looking up, the sphere that represented the real world floated above them. He could see some data streams in the distance.

"Anybody have any idea what direction we should go in?" Rika asked. "I mean, seriously, we came here with no plan and completely forgot how big the digital world is!" Nobody answered for a few minutes. Mostly because nobody wanted to admit Rika was right.

"I've been thinking," Henry said slowly, as though still trying to piece together the words to recount his theory. "I think we should try to get to the land of the digimon sovereign." Everybody in the group stared wordlessly at him.

"Okay...why?" Kenta asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Think about it! It makes sense that they might go there because of the help we did for the sovereign," Henry explained. "Maybe they'd feel safer there because Azulongmon was friendly."

"Safe?!" Kazu screamed. "Isn't that the exact place where a giant red bird tried to light us on fire?!" Even the littler kids seemed hushed by Kazu's comment. Takato knew it was better than nothing, however.

"Look...it's the only lead we've got, right?" he said. Henry shrugged and Ryo nodded. "Then I say we just go for it. We need to move from here, anyway."

The large group set off in their quest to find their friends. Takato watched as Kazu took the lead, and looked at the surrounding desert. There was no sign of life, no sign that pointed them towards the destination they sought. He hoped the digimon sovereign, specifically Azulongmon, would sense their presence and come to collect them. However, as they walked on, it became less and less likely.

He had to admit, Henry's idea made sense. No place in the digital world was especially safe, but perhaps the digimon would accept the protection of the sovereign. Not one to be overly cocky, but Takato knew that the sovereign, and the entire digital world, owed Guilmon and the others a debt.

Suddenly, he remembered that he was traveling with five year olds, and that they had been walking in complete silence for quite some time. He turned to offer his assistance, but he found that his services were unneeded. Henry was giving Suzie a ride on his back, and Ai and Mako were being helped by Rika and Ryo.

The group traveled in silence still for a long time. The amount of sand piling inside Takato's shoes was getting out of hand. He almost resorted to using his goggles to protect his eyes, but stopped himself and squinted instead. A few feet ahead, he saw Jeri stumble and fall to the ground. He ran up to her and offered her his hand. She took it graciously, still smiling.

"Alright, does anybody actually have _any_ idea where we're going?" Rika shouted, Ai still propped up on her back. Everybody, including Ryo and Mako, the latter of whom had been laughing at something Ryo said, stopped moving and turned towards the front of the group.

"Nope," Kazu said, while Kenta muttered "not a clue."

"What do you mean?!" Rika exclaimed. "If you didn't know where to go, why did you take the lead, doofus?" The littler kids began chuckling.

"Well somebody had to!" Kazu said in defense. "If it was up to you we would still be in the Real World! At least we've made progress!"

"That's enough, you two," Henry said, setting Suzie down on a nearby rock. "I think we could all use a break. We've been walking for a long time." Takato's instincts screamed for them to keep moving, to find Guilmon as soon as possible, but he knew they were tired, and he pushed the instincts aside for the well-being of the group.

"Henry's right," he said. "All this walking is exhausting, and I bet nobody here actually ate something before we left. Let's figure out a plan." With that, he undid the knots that kept his bag tied to him.

He began passing out the bread that his parents helped him pack that morning. After everybody grabbed enough, he himself sat down and chewed on a roll. He tried to, again, find some kind of landmark that could help him pick a direction to go in, but the only thing he saw was sand.

Jeri sat down next to him. He turned and offered her a smile. He was reminded of the time he worked up the nerve to tell her his true feelings, only to find out that he was talking to a D-Reaper Agent instead. He recognized that now was not the time to bring it up though. He did notice that she lacked the usual hand puppet that, admittedly, unnerved Takato a little. She did, however, have her digivice in hand. She clutched it with both hands and stared off at the distance. Takato put a consoling hand on hers.

"What...what's that?" Suzie, who was on top of Henry's shoulders, asked. Takto followed her pointed finger to the horizon. At first, he saw nothing besides sand. Then, the shapes became more obvious.

"Digimon?" Rika said, in surprise. Takato noticed the digimon too. It looked like a herd of Gazimon...and they were running quickly.

"Can they help us find Impmon?" Ai asked. Takato wondered the same, but their running speed worried him. Why were the Gazimon running away so quickly? He saw one of the Gazimon turn into data.

"Run!" Takato screamed. "Get moving. Something is chasing the Gazimon," he explained to the older Tamers. They frantically began packing up as the Gazimon and pursuers approached rapidly.

By the time the herd reached the Tamers, only one of the Gazimon remained. Takato watched in horror as the dead data cells resembling tumbleweed launched itself at the last digimon.

"No!" Rika shouted, and smacked the carnivorous data away using her backpack. Takato only had a few seconds to marvel at her bravery when a data sac attacked her.

"Watch out, chumly!" Kazu exclaimed and pulled her to his side, just in time to avoid her deletion. The two found themselves surrounded, while Henry and Ryo moved the kids away and Takato searched his bag for something, anything, that could help them.

"We need help!" Kenta shouted. His hands came together like he was in prayer, and he began muttering under his breathe, but it was too late; Kazu and Rika had no way out, and Takato couldn't help them. They needed help, and fast.

And then, suddenly..."_Guardian Barrage!_"


	3. The Cyclone

**Hey! I'm sorry this took me to long to upload, I had a really busy summer and first few months back at school. Alright, you know the drill! I do not own digimon or any of its characters, nor am I claiming to. Okay, enjoy!**

Takato barely had enough time to push his goggles down over his eyes. Even then, the sandstorm that followed the blast reduced visibility to zero. When the dust finally settled to the desert floor enough for him to remove his goggles, he almost could not believe his eyes. A large robotic lifeform was picking Kazu up as if he was made of air, and pulled the young boy into a bone-crushing hug. Next to him, Kenta was hugging a strange purple bat with a heart on its chest.

"Guardromon!" Kazu shouted in joy, attempting to return the hug but failing to get his arms around the digimon. "Dude! You're here!"

"Of course I am, Kazu!" he exclaimed back in his slightly metallic voice. "I told you I would be there when you needed me." Kazu looked slightly embarrassed, but it was overthrown by the sheer happiness he had at finding his partner.

"MarineAngemon, I'm so happy to see you!" Kenta exclaimed, pulling the floating digimon towards him. There was dust covering his glasses, and streaks shone where tears had cleaned the dust and sand off of his face.

"Kenta! Crushing!" The tiny digimon said in its high-pitched, clear voice. Kenta relented a little bit, but Takato had never seen the kid so happy. He, too, was happy for his friends, and a little sad that Guilmon wasn't there. Overall, however, he was feeling confused.

"Not that we aren't glad to see you two," Henry, who apparently shared Takato's confusion, started, "but how did you know we were here?" Kenta and Kazu looked up, slightly bemused, as if that thought had not occurred. The bright sun in the sky glinted off of Guardromon, making staring at him difficult to do.

"I could feel that you were here," the digital robot explained. "As soon as you entered the Digital World, I knew that you were here, Kazu. When MarineAngemon said he could feel Kenta as well, we immediately came to the first layer to look for you. When the data started attacking you, I knew I only had one chance to save you!"

"Kenta!" MarineAngemon said again, and burrowed into the boy's shirt. He chuckled and began hugging his partner again. Ryo, Rika, Henry, and Takato all shared glances. They had been going off the assumption that they would have to find their partners, but if their digimon could sense their whereabouts...

"Do you know where Renamon and the others are?" Rika asked. "Were you with them when you felt Kazu and Kenta?" Her face was hopeful, but Takato could see the undertones of distress. He felt them too. If Guardromon and MarineAngemon came, why didn't Guilmon, too?

"We were out scouting," Guardromon explained. "Azulongmon and the other sovereign have been getting strange reports lately, so they asked all of us to check it out. We were with Calumon and Lopmon, but when we felt you guys we told them to get back to the castle." Rika's face fell slightly. Ryo walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, pumpkin, we'll see them soon. They're probably on their way to see right now!" he said with that confident, easy going smile of his. Oddly, in this case, it was almost comforting; Rika began to relax, though her hand was still clenched around her digivice. Takato realized he had been doing the same thing to his, and loosened his grip. His fingers were stiff.

"Do you think you could lead us to where you guys were staying?" Henry asked. Suzie was still on his shoulders, and she was resting her head on her older brothers. MarineAngemon nodded excitedly and began flailing in the direction it wanted them to go. Rika turned to the remaining Gazimon, which, thanks to the excitement, Takato had not even remembered was still there.

"You can come with us, if you want," she said with compassion and sympathy. "We will do our best to make sure you're safe." The little digimon was beyond scared, that was plain to see, but Rika's kindness had relieved him a little. Takato was always impressed by Rika, and he couldn't help but think of the girl that tried to attack him to get stronger. He bit his lip and sighed; thinking about Guilmon made him sad. _Where are you, buddy?_

The, slightly larger, group composed themselves once again, and went off in the direction led by Guardromon and MarineAngemon. Kazu and Kenta were side by side with their partners, both with a new spring in their step and a smile illuminating their faces. Their joy was almost palpable, but instead of being contagious, the opposite happened; Takato found himself getting progressively sadder as they walked. Not that he wasn't happy for his friends, of course, but that he was missing his own partner. Being apart from your partner is like missing part of yourself.

One look at the rest of the group, specifically Rika, Henry, and Ryo, and Takato knew his feelings weren't specific to him. Even the littler kids seemed to be lost in thought, and it didn't take a mind reader to figure out what they were pondering. He looked back and saw Jeri, and she was different. She was smiling, and had a gleam of hope in her eyes that made Takato realize that there _was_ hope. If Guardromon and MarineAngemon could find their way to Kenta and Kazu, then they could find their way to their own partners.

That didn't stop the sense of foreboding that haunted Takato with every step. He couldn't explain it, but something was happening that nobody expected. After about an hour of walking in silence, besides Kenta babbling to MarineAngemon, Takato decided to announce his feelings.

"Guys, I -"

"Shh!" Rika hushed aggressively, covering his mouth with her own hand. Takato, miffed that she cut him off like that, ripped her hand off his face and threw it back at her. When he opened his mouth to speak again, this time Ryo cut him off.

"Do you guys...do you hear that?" Takato closed his eyes and focused on his hearing. At first he didn't hear anything. But then he started to hear something...distant voices of familiar people.

"It's one of those tornado things!" Rika screamed, pointing in the distance. Takato opened his eyes. Why was he hearing voices then? He turned to Henry, who had just noticed the tornado as well.

"We have to get out of the way," he said, picking Suzie up in a piggyback style. Everybody frantically began to run away, except Takato. Suzie was struggling to get off of Henry's back and run towards Takato.

"Goggle head, what are you doing?!" Rika asked, everybody stopping in their confusion as to why Takato refused to move. Suzie finally managed to escape Henry and was running toward Takato as fast as her little legs could take her. Takato opened his mouth to explain why had stopped, but was cut off again. But this time, it was different. A shout echoed out of the tornado.

"_Blazing Ice_!" Instantly, Takato knew that they needed to get sucked into the cyclone; he remembered from their last trip that it was unpleasant, but that it would transport them somewhere else in the Digital World.

"Suzie!" Henry, who has legs that are much longer than his sisters, reached Suzie and grabbed her by the waist to prevent her from moving forward. They struggled, and she wailed, and the rest of the group stayed still in a mixture of confusion and panic. The tornado was upon them, and as he could feel his feet leave the ground, he let out one fearful scream. He reached out and found Henry's hand, and Suzie reached out to the others, and in moments they were all connected, hand in hand, flying through the center of the cyclone.

"Calumon, watch out!" they heard a voice say as they were bombarded by wind and thrown about in the center. Takato felt like his brain was being pushed into his stomach, and he kept his eyes closed as they flew on. Eventually he started to feel the familiar sense of the wind ceasing, and knew that they were about to be dropped. He opened his eyes and saw, through the dissipating walls of the tornado, a familiar bunny-like digimon with a single horn battling a larger digimon that he recognized as the Ultimate level, Knightmon.

Lopmon, as a Rookie level, was no match for Knightmon. She used to be a powerful Deva, but she was reverted to Rookie level when she joined with Suzie.

Their landing was a hard one, but in the heat of the moment, nobody noticed. They were on their feet in seconds, and Henry was, again, chasing after his little sister as she ran towards her partner. Lopmon, focused on protecting Calumon, had not noticed them yet.

Knightmon began swinging his sword quickly, gathering energy. Lopmon, hurt, was struggling to stand and fight. Knightmon's great sword began to glow, and suddenly Takato realized that this was a kill shot.

"That's his final attack!" Henry screamed. Everything was happening too fast, nothing was making sense, and Takato did not know how they could proceed to save their friend. "Suzie, no!"

"Lopmon!" the little girl in pink screamed, tears streaming down her face.

"Suzie?" the digital rabbit noticed, smiling even through her confusion. She fell to the ground.

"_Berserk Sword_!" the knight digimon shouted. Suzie and Lopmon shouted together as one, and the world was suddenly and completely filled with a white light. The light itself gave Takato strength and hope, and he remembered what it was and what was about to happen in front of them.

"Lopmon digivolve to...Antylamon!" Only through Suzie and Lopmon's combined energy and bond can Lopmon return to her powerful, Ultimate Level Deva status. When the light faded, the small bunny had been replaced by tall beast, still resemblant of a rabbit, with a longer torso, longer legs and arms, and an aura of power.

"_Bunny Blades_!" Antylamon began to spin rapidly, and moved its attack towards Knightmon. When the contact happened, Knightmon was instantly cut in two and reverted to data.

Takato was very impressed. As Antylamon changed back to Lopmon and was embraced by Suzie, he remarked on how instantaneously their bond was able to save them all. He should have been happy and relieved; they were perfectly fine, and they had found two more of their friends. Yet, as he watched the happy reunion unfold before him, he started feeling sad again. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and when he turned to meet it he found Jeri was smiling at him. But her smile was more than just happy; it was comforting, and Takato sighed and realized what she was trying to tell him.

_Soon, Guilmon_ he thought. _I promise, I'm coming._


	4. The Village

**Hey! Sorry this took so long to write. I could come up with a bunch of excuses but they'd be really lame so I hope there are still people who want to read! Hopefully the next few chapters won't take so long. Disclaimer: I don't own digimon. Enjoy!**

The night fell upon them as it always did in the Digital World: completely and instantaneously. Takato blinked, and then suddenly it was pitch black and he could barely see his friends five feet in front of him. It made him anxious, because it was already night and he did not know where Guilmon could be.

They made the executive decision to camp out in the spot where they found Lopmon and Calumon. Takato agreed, begrudgingly, because he knew the reasons; it was cold, dark, and they were lost. The cyclone, although worth it to find their friends, had blown them completely off course. They had enough digimon to protect them through the night, so Henry reassured everybody that they were safe and had nothing to worry about. But Takato's worry was not focused on sleeping out in the open. His promise to Guilmon hung out in front of him, tempting him to slip away and find Guilmon on his own. One look at Jeri, though, and he knew he had to stay. Together was their best bet.

After passing out some food and creating a fire, the little ones promptly fell asleep. The bigger kids sat around the fire in silence. Soon Kazu was snoring contentedly and Kenta was cuddled up with MarineAngemon. Ryo, who had spent a while in the Digital World before, had fallen asleep as well. Henry, Rika, and Takato remained to stare into the fire. Eventually, the silence began pressing against his eardrums.

"I'm going to check on Suzie and the other kids," Henry said abruptly, and stood to see his sister. Rika stretched and sighed, leaning on her fist which was propped up on her leg. Takato thought she looked as worried as he felt.

"Don't worry, gogglehead. We'll find them soon" she said with the smile that Takato had come to know and appreciate. As sarcastic and cold Rika could seem, she was just as warm and caring beneath that cool exterior.

"I know," he said, and he believed it. "I just wish we had seen them already. Especially since we have no idea where they are. Or even where we are." She pursed her lips, and apparently could not find an answer, because she told Takato to go to sleep instead.

The ground was hard, and Takato was laying directly on a rock that was too deeply lodged in the dirt to get rid of. He moved to his side, using his backpack as a pillow. He closed his eyes and, even though his anxiety was almost palpable to the others, he drifted off to sleep.

He woke up with a jolt to the sound of rustling leaves. In a panic, he sat upright, expecting an attack. He, however, saw Ryo and Rika packing up the campsite. Suzie was carrying around Lopmon and Calumon was seated on top of Jeri's head. Takato didn't move or speak, hoping the panic would soon subside.

"Welcome to consciousness, chumly," Kazu said when he noticed Takato. Then his smile dropped. "Are you feeling alright?" Takato put his hand on his neck, which was feeling pretty stiff.

"Yeah, just...slept funny," Takato answered. It was a good enough answer for Kazu, who nodded and walked back to Guardromon, ranting about having to sleep in the dirt. He stood up and stretched, hoping to wake up his limbs and get his energy flowing again. He mindlessly nibbled on some bread for breakfast ("Is bread all we have?" Kenta whined) and tied his shoes and was ready to move out.

"We're in the Digital World," Ryo was saying to Kenta. "If you don't want to eat bread, then just stop being hungry. You don't have to eat here, remember?"

"Yeah, but I really like to eat, so its hard to forget about it" Kenta complained. The group looked around at their campsite and, content that they had cleaned up to the best of their ability, moved out. Lopmon was giving suggestions as to where they should walk, since they figured she would know how to find Azulongmon's realm and potentially the rest of their partners.

Takato silently took a tally of what they had accomplished during this trip so far. _We found three out of seven partners, Calumon, and a Gazimon._ Then he remembered that the Gazimon got separated from them when they went through the tornado, and suddenly felt guilty and upset. That Gazimon was counting on them for protection, and they failed. He brought this up to the group, so they could help share the guilt.

"Worry not, Takato! That Gazimon made their choice about joining us into the tornado. They willingly separated from us, and understood the risks. Try to push it out of your mind for now," Guardromon exclaimed. Takato found his words reassuring, but still felt bad for not noticing until that moment. He knew that he was preoccupied with finding Guilmon, but that did not excuse his air-headedness.

He wondered how Rika, Henry, and Ryo were holding up. They had to be at least worried as he was. Then his mind turned towards Jeri and how she was reacting. She might have been alright with the idea of finding everybody's partners, but Takato wondered whether the reality of it might make her miss Leomon, which he was afraid would trigger her, and he just wanted her to be happy.

Jeri turned her head and gave him a weird look, as though saying "What are you looking at?" He had not even noticed that he was staring at her. He felt blood rush to his face as he turned away, hoping she did not notice his obviously red cheeks. One time, he attempted to tell Jeri how he felt about her, but it ended up being the D-Reaper's agent version of Jeri. Part of him was relieved that the embarrassment of that exchange was technically non-existent. Another part of him wanted to try again, this time with the real Jeri. He wondered whether the first conversation was a sign from some higher power, telling him not to try again.

Luckily, he was spared from thinking more about this topic, as the group had reached a village that sat along a riverbank. Takato noticed that many, if not all, the buildings looked almost new, and several of them were unfinished. He witnessed a wide assortment of digimon moving bricks and wooden planks and other building necessities. Many of the digimon looked forlorn and upset, as if their entire livelihoods had been taken away and they were in the process of repairing something that could not truly be fixed.

"This was the aftermath of the battle with the D-Reaper," Lopmon whispered sadly. "Almost the entire Digital World was deleted, and practically everything needs to be replaced. This village looks like it's coming along nicely; many of the other villages I've visited and helped were much worse." The look of everybody was the same; a mixture of pity and empathy. Suzie squeezed Lopmon and commented on how sad they were, and Ai and Mako were holding hands, probably trying to comfort the other.

Takato, Rika, and Jeri walked up to the nearest digimon, who looked like a wooden puppet vaguely reminiscent of Pinocchio. He had the aura of an older person, who was, hopefully, wise and kind.

"Hello," Jeri said as they approached. "We're the Digimon Tamers."

"Of course, of course!" he nodded, and Rika beckoned to their friends to join them. "Thank you for defeating that cursed data eater!"

"It was our pleasure," Rika replied with a respectful head bow. "You haven't seen our partners around here recently have you?"

"Afraid not. Nobody has stopped by in a while, not since before our village was destroyed." Takato knew not to get his hopes up, but was still crushed at the revelation. "You folks looking for something to eat? We don't have much, but we're happy to share!"

"Yes, I am so over bread!" Kenta exclaimed, earning him a punch to the gut from Rika. He winced and held his stomach while gasping.

"We have provisions," Jeri explained. "We don't want to take anything from you. Is there anything we can help with you though? We would be happy to stay for a while and do anything we can to speed up work!" Takato resented this a little, but mostly he agreed with Jeri. He wanted to help rebuild the Digital World.

"No, no," Puppetmon waved away their offer. "We are almost done here; after months of hard work, we are going to reap our rewards. However, if you stumble upon a village worse off than ours, they may require your assistance." The group nodded and wished the digimon luck and good fortune before Lopmon pointed in a direction and they began to walk.

After a stretch of silence, Henry spoke up.

"Lopmon...is everything really like that village?" he asked tentatively. Takato thought they all knew the answer to that question, and were afraid of it.

"Worse," the small bunny replied sadly. "The D-Reaper did a lot of damage before we were able to stop it." The thought of the D-Reaper reminded Takato of how the tumbleweed things at the desert were eating data. Desperate not to make a sad situation worse, he resolved to bring it up after they had located the rest of their partners. "And there have been...other problems." That caught everybody's attention.

"What do you mean?" Rika asked, confused.

"A lot of bad digimon began plundering the helpless villages, stealing treasures and needlessly causing destruction," Lopmon said. "Its why Calumon, MarineAngemon, Guardromon, and myself were out scouting. We've been charged with protecting the villages from these marauders."

They stopped talking and took that in. Takato was, at first, confused, but then his confusion grew into anger. Why would anybody, digital or not, take advantage of people like that? It was not fair and the injustice of it made his blood boil.

"Uhm...Lopmon?" Kenta said hesitantly. He was looking beyond the valley they were walking in. Takato noticed that Ryo was staring intently at his digivice. "Do these 'marauders' usually carry potato sacks?"

"What are you talking about?" Rika demanded with increasing worry. She ran to Kenta's side and peered down. The rest of the group followed, except for Ryo, who was still looking quizzically at his digivice. Takato saw a bunch of digimon running, carrying large sacks and weapons. He could not make out what kinds of digimon there were, but he did come to an unsettling conclusion.

"Thats the direction of the village!" he exclaimed. "They're going to destroy the village, right after they finally were so close to finishing!" Everybody else gasped with understanding. There was no way that they could beat that pack to the village. Apparently Rika came to the same conclusion.

"There is no way we can get back there in time," she said. She was clutching her digivice, and Takato knew she was thinking that, as Sakuyamon, she would have no trouble getting there on her own. "We can't help them!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it," Ryo said, finally taking his eyes off his digivice. "I've got it covered." He took his digivice in hand and raised it towards the sky. It began to glow brightly, a beacon of light calling out. Takato realized what must be happening.

"Cyberdramon!"


	5. The Fall

**I'm so sorry that I've been away for so long! I've been super busy with school and family stuff, but I still feel bad. Hopefully I'll be able to update more regularly! Anyway, you know the deal, I don't own digimon etc. Hope you enjoy!**

The brilliant light flowed out the digivice, and the more Takato stared at it the more he was reminded of himself, and of courage, and friendship, and he could feel his connection with Guilmon as if it was a physical presence inside him. Hope and awe suddenly filled his entire being as he was blinded by the piercing light. He bathed in the light, letting it soak in, but when it finally faded he was reminded that the light was not for him, that what he was feeling was actually Ryo's hope. His chest tightened, and when the harshness in his eyes disappeared, he was not surprised at what he saw.

Cyberdramon, standing tall at an intimidating Ultimate level, had arrived with a fierce, determined scowl on his face. Ryo, sitting on his partner's shoulder, had returned to his former glory. Regal, powerful, he and his partner took to the skies and, at an impressive speed, flew back down the hill in the direction of the village. Without missing a beat, which may have been unusual for Kazu and Kenta, the pair jumped on Guardromon and flew, albeit slower, following their reclaimed friend, leaving the rest of them in alone in a blinking stupor.

Rika recovered first.

"That...happened really quickly?" she said, and although it was a statement, she said it like a question, looking for the same response from the group.

"Understatement," Henry muttered, staring at the settling dust clouds from the rapid departures.

"We need to follow them," Jeri reminded the group, and the bigger kids nodded. However, nobody made a move forward. Takato's brain was working in overdrive, trying to compute the events that had just occurred. The only thing that kept coming back to him was, _Cyberdramon found us. _He_ found _us_._ Eventually, because their friends were getting too far away, Jeri grabbed Takato and Rika by the hand and began pulling them along the trail.

"But Henry! I'm tired!" Suzie said, in her trademark voice. Henry sighed and picked her up, placing her on his shoulders. Rika took Ai on her back, and Takato let Mako climb on his his, but they were all so tired that he was wondering how much longer they could go with the kids like this. Especially Henry, who had not let Suzie walk more than a mile at a time without trying to carry her. They were exhausted.

Jeri, who was carrying nobody, had taken the lead. They were walking at a brisk pace, wanting to catch up to their friends, but knowing that they couldn't really do anything even if they managed to get there on time.

"Guys...the ground looks weird,," Jeri noticed, pointing out the cracks and ridges that made the walk uncomfortable. They had gotten closer to the village, and they could see the lights and hear the sounds that usually accompanies battle. They were all well aware of what those stimuli entail. Takato felt Mako's hands tighten around him, and he shared in this little one's anxiety.

"It must have been from the battle," Henry reasoned. The kids got off the backs of the bigger kids, so that they could more easily maneuver over the uneven terrain. Dust was still settling, and Takato could feel it falling into his lungs. He coughed, and helped Mako over a large obstacle in the way.

The battle was getting closer to the village. He could make out what appeared to be Guardromon's signature move, _Guardian Barrage_, and he thought he could feel the explosion tearing apart the land from where he was. The rock path was vibrating even harder now, and something about it was making Takato nervous. He didn't want to anybody to get hurt, but they couldn't afford to take their time.

He reached out his hand and offered it to Mako, who was struggling to walk at an even pace on the rough terrain. As he helped him up, he noticed the younger boy's shoelaces were untied. He didn't want to slow the group down, as the others were already far ahead of them. But he knew that Mako needed to tie his shoe if they wanted to catch up. He pointed it out to his younger friend, and turned to the others.

"Guys! Wait up, Mako's shoe is untied!" he called out to them. He saw them pause, and he turned to help Mako tie his shoelace. He didn't know if Mako was able to do it on his own, but he figured that it would be faster for him to do it.

"Thanks!" Mako said brightly, and Takato smiled at him. They both got back on their feet, and Takato offered to carry Mako's bag. They both began to pick up the pace as they attempted to catch up to the rest of the team. The battle was getting closer to the village, but they were getting closer to the battle. He could make out Cyberdramon attacking a large group of digimon, while MarineAngemon's bubbles protected the humans. Takato immediately wondered why Ryo hadn't biomerged into Justimon and just taken out the marauders. He feared that something was wrong. He was about to suggest that Lopmon digivolve to Antylamon when he heard a loud, unmistakable _crack_.

He and Mako had not quite caught up to the rest of their friends, but everybody stopped moving while the crack still echoed in their ears. He was afraid to take another step, he was afraid to even breathe, because he knew what that sound meant. He held his breath and looked down. Even though he knew what he was going to see, it didn't stop him from being upset and anxious at the sight of the giant crack running across the path. It snaked its way even passed where Rika, Henry, Jeri, Suzie, and Ai were standing, and they were equally nervous. As he opened his mouth to call and ask what they should do, a small, shrill voice called first.

"Mako!" Ai shouted to her brother, and Henry reached out to stop her from making any sudden movements. Takato was sure that anybody, no matter how tiny, would probably set off a cave in with extreme motion. Even at that, the ground moved slightly, but he managed to stop her before she made any large movements.

Takato, however, was not as fast.

"Ai!" her brother called back and jumped forward into a run. Takato tried to catch him, but then he realized that it was hard to grab onto somebody when the ground was falling from beneath you.

He lunged forward and locked his arms around Mako, protecting him from the debris with his body. He heard the screams of his other friends, and he thought maybe he screamed as well, but he couldn't really tell in the aftermath. He wondered how far the fall would be, and whether he would even survive it. Time slowed down as he thought about school, his friends, his parents, and then Guilmon. _Guilmon, I'm sorry._ Time returned to itself, and he felt the dust and rocks hit his face, and the wind on his face as the fall continued.

He thought he could feel something tighten around his side, and perhaps the fall slowed down because so did the velocity of the wind hitting his head. The world was getting dizzy, which was hard to tell because of the darkness that had started consuming Takato's vision. He tried to focus on the feeling of hope that the fall was ending and that he would be safe, and he wrapped his arms around Mako tighter, but eventually the stress of the fall was too much, and as he fell unconscious he thought he heard a familiar voice accompanied by a flash of green.


End file.
